Lower-Division UCA Core

The checksheet presented below provides a current listing of courses available in the lower-division UCA Core. Substantive changes to the checksheet are incorporated annually and published with the other parts of each new year’s Undergraduate Bulletin late spring; more minor changes may be made throughout the year if authorized. Each year the previous year’s check sheet is archived here by academic year and will be accessible through the archive links below.

Lower-Division Core Check Sheet: AY 2020-2021

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Introductory Information

The lower-division core (“general education”) requires 38 semester credit hours, as outlined in the checksheet below. The following abbreviations indicate disciplinary categories for certain courses in this list:

FA = Fine Arts
HUM = Humanities
SS = Social Sciences

Transfer of credit, the State Minimum Core, and the Lower-Division UCA Core

A transfer student who has completed the 35-hour State Minimum Core curriculum before entering UCA, as transcripted by the sending institution, will be deemed to have completed the lower-division UCA Core. No additional lower-division UCA Core courses will be required. A transfer student who has not completed the 35-hour State Minimum Core curriculum before entering UCA must work with an academic advisor to ensure timely completion of lower-division UCA Core requirements. The State Minimum Core is outlined here: State Minimum General Education Core.

A readmitted student who has completed the 35-hour State Minimum Core curriculum at the time of readmission to UCA will be deemed to have completed the lower-division UCA Core provided that the student transfers 15 or more hours of credit from another college or university.

In the Quantitative or Natural Science sections (§§ 1.1, 1.2) of the Lower-Division (LD) UCA Core, higher-level courses than those listed that are accepted in transfer or as evaluated credit at the time of initial admission to the university will satisfy the respective LD UCA Core requirements provided that (1) the student has otherwise met respective grade and laboratory requirements and (2) the UCA equivalent to the transferred course has as a prerequisite an LD UCA Core course within the same UCA Core category.

First-Year Seminar: During the first year, one course – from the Critical Inquiry, Diversity, or Responsible Living category – must be a First-Year Seminar (FYS). See the online class schedule to find FYS sections (the course attribute is listed as LD UCA Core First-Year Seminar). Courses that are always FYS are noted in this check sheet.

Other Requirements

Students must successfully complete the Written Communication course sequence (Writing Foundation + Research and Writing) in their first year unless the requirement was already met.

An approved UCA Core lab science and an approved UCA Core math course should be completed in the first two years.

Fine Arts and Humanities: Students must take at least one course in the Fine Arts and one course in the Humanities in fulfillment of lower-division UCA Core requirements.

Social Science: All students are required to take six credits of social science. In order to complete the Lower-Division Core in 38 credit hours, it is recommended that students take, in addition to the Social Science course taken in the Critical Inquiry category, a Social Science course in either the Diversity in World Cultures or the Responsible Living Category.

Additional information:

If an ACT subject score is below 19 in reading, writing, or mathematics, remediation is required.

Some majors require specific UCA Core courses.

Courses may be used only once to satisfy the UCA Core requirements.

A minimum grade of C is required in some UCA Core courses.

For additional information, consult your academic advisor or the relevant sections of the Undergraduate Bulletin.